Swoosh
A soft breeze escaped the Oracle's sleeves, pushing Eros' soul force through the transportation portal. The oval shaped portal shrunk and closed like a mouth devouring the soul force in one gulp. As the swirling dimension distorted in reducing size, the skies darkened - speaking its premonitions before it cleared up again.
At the Tartarus, Aphrodite's eyes were enlarged as she failed to damage the delivery portal. She had tried sending waves of attacks using five elements at a time, but resulted in nothing. Words script out in molten lava each time she attempts to wreck the item's transportation.
A protection spell has been placed and there was nothing she could do to terminate the process.
She curled her tongue to the ceiling of her mouth and let it unroll aggressively outwards - a click escaped her parted lips.
Her vision was clearer than a bluebottle butterfly's sight. She watched as Eros' previously destroyed soul force appeared in one piece - with no cracks or missing fragments. It was as if his soul force had never been damaged before! The color of its golden rays shone brighter amber, causing her to shut her eyes for a split second.
Recognizing its original owner, the luminescence sphere attached itself to Eros' body. It cuddled close and rubbed itself intimately to his chest as if it was familiarizing itself with his heart. The scintillating light surrounding it diminished as it merged into one with his body.
Suddenly, the ground shook violently, causing rocks and dust particles to jump from its place. A rising heat surfaced from below, tinting the ground crimson hues from previous bloodsheds of this dungeon. Sensing the boiling temperature, Aphrodite quickly stood up to prevent possible injuries to her precious skin.
"What are you trying to do?" Her voice cut across the cell.
His response to her inquiry was answered with a split crack on the area she was standing on. Behind her, an enormous rage of desperation for justice rose - it sent chills down her spine. Shivering relentlessly by the ice brick coldness from her back, she rotated her body in a turtle's pace.
Dead bodies resurrected one after another. Limbs bent in all directions, reconnecting the joints in the bodies. Through Eros' darkened eyes, he saw the auras of their souls. Only those who had pure kind ones were given a chance to live again. His fists rose sharply, bringing each figure on their knees. They were bowing to Eros, — the new lord of the underworld — the Devil.
Many innocent victims raised their heads to gaze grudgingly into Aphrodite's eyes. Their eyes screamed, "justice!" to her face. These were people whom she had sent to the dark abyss after framing them for crimes they've never committed.
Fear crept up like ants crawling under her skin. She couldn't keep her back straightened as she felt heavy weights on her shoulder. Before Eros could say anything, a blinding glow illuminated through a large thunderbolt from above. Zeus, the deity of weather and sky have broken through dimensional realms to bring forth his message.
Zeus' voice vibrated like hundreds of connected speakers sounding through a microphone.
"Eros, let your mother leave. If you lay a finger on her, you will be taken to the summons court. Leave Aphrodite to me. I guarantee she will be punished for everything she has done to you and your wife, Psyche."
He gave a derisive laugh. " Summons court? Then may I ask where our mighty deities were when this woman who calls herself a 'goddess' had set others up and destroyed innocent lives? Where was the talk about summoning her to court when she seduced others with her appearance and committed endless crimes? Now you decide to use the court? How much of your guarantee is the truth?"
"When have I lied to you? If the courts tail after you for being an unfilial child, it'll be too late." Zeus tried coaxing him with sugarcoated words. In fact, the thought of punishing Aphrodite had never crossed his mind. He was only slapping terms and conditions to prevent Eros from hurting Aphrodite.
Though Eros had just become the new lord of the underworld, his power was invincible. He was an opponent that no deities could overpower. His strength had turned eighteen realms of tartarus into his own possessions. The tainted reds of the ground he was standing on marked every territory of the dark abyss.
Even if Zeus were to interrupt Eros' plans physically, he may suffer huge loss. Thus, it explains why he chose to present himself through sending an open portal down to the underworld.
Locks of Eros' hair straggled down his forehead, rocking back and forth in his vision. His gem-like eyes reflected deep blues of a raging sea and sparked fragmented colors of the horizon once his choice became clear. "No. Unless we have the Oracle as the witness to your promises or else, I will not let Aphrodite out of here. I'll make her pay for all she owes to those she sacrificed."
"Eros! You are the offspring of Aphrodite. Needless to say, your identity as her son will forever be linked by the blood running in your body. As her child, you should overlook everything she has done. She's your mother, not an enemy. In addition, I can recover your status as a god if you let her go. If not, you'll be part of the evil and have an everlasting stain to your title." Zeus spoke with such righteousness that it disgusted Eros.
"Every deity living above the clouds believe whatever below their level are dirtied or less superior. Humans and devils are just forms of different figures living in separate dimensions. Creations spread about how correct deities are, but in reality, deities are full of flaws just like any other being. You said she was my mother and whatever she does should be forgiven. However, her crimes and lies will only stack up on her head."
"Then, why should she hold authority to punish anyone when she framed almost everyone for her insecurities? She may be the goddess of love and beauty, but I do not see anything beyond her outer appearance. With this being said, your words are distrustful. Get the Oracle first before you come to me again. I've already given up my status as the god of love. Now, I am the ruler of the underworld." The lock of hair paused its sway and flew backward on his hair.
Swiping his fingers in a quick slash motion, the light from above had become a blurry streak before it disappeared entirely. Without making any eye contacts with his mother, he teleported to the other side of the cell and trapped her behind bars.
Flicking his finger towards her direction, a gust of smoke captured Aphrodite's limbs and slammed her to the wall. Like how he was treated as a prisoner, she, too, experienced being powerless for once. She struggled to break free with all her strength but found the cuffs tightening its grip even more every time she tried.
As her attempts failed, she noticed the glowing mixture of shades around the cuffs when she released her powers to destroy it. The realization came late and slow. By the time she stopped the attempts, her powers were all drained from her body.
"Eros! Return my powers to me!" She screamed hysterically as if she had witnessed a brutal murder.
"This is your problem, not mine. You should've figured it out after your first attempt that the cuffs would absorb your powers, but you ignored all signs your nerves were sending you. You reap what you sow." Turning around, Eros studied the army of revived figures that Aphrodite had wronged.
Electric sparks sizzled in parallel lines ranging across the cell, connecting Eros' palms to the glowing cuffs that pinned Aphrodite in place. With one arm stretched forward, Eros began shifting his arm in a slow sideways movement.
Zapping each person using thunderbolts, he successfully distributed Aphrodite's power to those he revived. The scars on their bodies healed instantly and expressions reappeared on their blank faces. Those who were framed and ruined by her have now recovered to their original state. At the same time, the scars they suffered were delivered as a gift to Aphrodite's porcelain skin.
While Eros continued transferring the energy from the cuffs to everyone in front of him, Zeus has arrived in front of the Oracle's territory. As if he had expected this guest to come, the Oracle waited while dusting his home. Once Zeus' presence entered the enchanted forest, the Oracle's lips curved into a smile. "He's finally here."